Bellini cocktail

The Bellini cocktail was invented by  Cipriani, founder of Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy. The original recipe was made with a bit of raspberry or cherry juice to give the drink a pink colour.

Giuseppe named the drink the Bellini because the pink colour reminded him of the toga of a saint in a painting by 15th-century Venetian artist Giovanni Bellini.

The Bellini consists of puréed white peaches and Prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine. Despite the white flesh of the peaches, the purée will be a pale rose-gold colour. Put 2 tsp of the purée in the base of each Champagne glass then pour in chilled Prosecco, then enjoy, it’s that simple!

The recipe has developed a number of variations, largely because white peaches aren’t available everywhere all year round, although peach juice can be used, various fruits such as strawberries and raspberries are often substituted.